Sony Michel leads Patriots past Jets, 27-13

By Mark Daniels / The Providence Journal

Sunday

Nov 25, 2018 at 5:04 PMNov 25, 2018 at 8:56 PM

Rookie running back rushes for a career-high 133 yards and a touchdown.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – During the first half, the cameras panned to Tom Brady on the sideline. Trainers were tending to the thumb on his right throwing hand. The next shot showed trainers working on Brady’s right knee, which was covered in a large bruise. Meanwhile, his left knee was in a brace.

After missing Friday’s practice with a knee injury/illness, the Patriots quarterback looked to be battling multiple injuries on Sunday as the Patriots were battling the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.

It’s a good thing that the Patriots running backs and offensive line were up to the task. Over the last week, the coaching staff challenged the group to run the ball consistently for a full 60 minutes. On Sunday, rookie Sony Michel took the lead. The first-round pick rushed for a career-high 133 rushing yards and a touchdown in leading the Patriots to a 27-13 win over the Jets on Sunday.

“That’s us being able to play Patriot football,” Michel said. “We want to be physical. When you’re able to be physical, you can run the ball, throw the ball. It’s almost like you can pull all the strings and do what you want to do.”

The Patriots improve to 8-3, as all eyes will continue to be on the health of Brady, who finished 20-of-31 passing for 283 yards and two touchdowns. After missing three of the last four games, tight end Rob Gronkowski returned and added a touchdown along with three catches for 56 yards. But it was the running game that pushed the Patriots forward in this one.

The Pats finished with 215 total yards rushing, which was the highest output since Nov. 16, 2014, in Indianapolis. James White chipped in with a career-high 73 rushing yards. Sunday also marked Michel’s third 100-yard game of this season. That’s the fourth most in the Patriots history for a rookie running back.

“We just got to give (Michel) a chance. He can do it,” said center David Andrews. “Being an offensive lineman, you have to give that guy a chance. James White, all our backs, you give him clean runs he can make big plays. That falls on us. They go as much as we go.”

The Patriots needed the extra help on Sunday. They fell in an early 7-0 hole when Jets quarterback Josh McCown hit Jermaine Kearse for a 16-yard touchdown at 4:02 of the first quarter.

Brady was quick to respond and the Patriots tied the game, 7-7, on the ensuing series. The quarterback hit Josh Gordon (23 yards) and Chris Hogan (20 yards) to start the series. Then at 1:11 of the first quarter, on third-and-12, Brady hit Gronkowski for a 34-yard touchdown.

The defense settled down after that, but the Patriots offense wouldn’t see the end zone again until the end of the third quarter. The second quarter was filled with mistakes as the Pats were flagged for a season-high 11 penalties in the game. Both the Patriots and Jets swapped field goals and the game was tied, 10-10, heading into halftime.

The Patriots slowly went down field to open the second half and took a 13-10 lead. Brady didn’t look right during this drive, as he didn’t complete a pass longer than 8 yards. The offense instead relied on Michel, who kicked off the series with a 31-yard gain.

The rookie back, however, came off the field at 9:47 of the third with an apparent back injury. The Patriots stalled at the 9-yard line and Stephen Gostkowski hit a 32-yard field goal at 8:34.

“My whole mindset was being able to get right and get back on the field to help my team,” Michel said.

The Patriots weren’t able to break free from the Jets' grasp as New York tied the game, 13-13, at 4:00 of the third.

At 1:52 of the third, the Patriots finally found the end zone. White took a handoff 27 yards downfield to the 21-yard line. Two plays later, Brady hit Julian Edelman for a 21-yard touchdown and the Patriots led, 20-13.

“I think that’s certainly a key for us,” Brady said of the run game. “Anytime you can run the ball like we did, I think the line did a great job blocking, James ran great, it just helps a lot of things.”

At 8:58 of the fourth, the Patriots finally pulled away. Michel returned after coming out of the game with the back injury and took his first carry 33 yards down the field. He capped this drive with 1-yard touchdown run to extend the Patriots lead, 27-13.

“Coach kind of gave us a challenge this week, one being able to run the football,” Michel said. “The group did a good job to achieve that goal.”

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